Lagana Brothers Ready To Make History

Now Lagana and the Twilight Zone racing team will head back to Martin, Michigan for the 2013 CarSafe Northern Nitro Jam presented by Perry Harley Davidson Aug. 9-10, exactly 10 years to the day when Lagana eclipsed the four second barrier in 2003.

Only this time Bobby’s brother Dom will be the one behind the wheel of the newly-designed “Nitro Ninja” 8,000 horsepower Top Fuel machine. Bobby drove the car at the last two races, winning twice in Edmonton in early July.

So why make the driver switch for Martin?

To make history, Bobby says.

“Exactly 10 years ago we broke the four second barrier and since then we have hovered in the upper fours. This weekend in Martin, we want to set a new mark for our team – the 4.5 second barrier,” Lagana said. “That is the run that has eluded us lately. We have been running a lot of really fast 1,000 foot times in Dom’s car and who knows, with the right conditions and a little magic, maybe we can set a new mark for our team in Michigan.

“We love going to U.S. 131. We go there two or three times a year and we really enjoy racing on that track. When we get there we will make some hits and get it dialed in, but if the conditions are right we will try for the homerun.”

To date Dom’s best quarter-mile pass is 4.62 seconds at 323 mph, while Bobby’s best is a 6.63 at 324. Bobby admitted that he had run a 4.59 once driving for another team, but he wants to reach that mark with his own team and he wants to do it this weekend.

“Getting to 4.59 is a lot like getting from five flat to 4.99. It is a number that is a major benchmark and it will take everything coming together for us to do it, but we have a car capable of getting it done,” Bobby said. “Dom is driving because, let’s face it, the 50 pound weight difference is huge and we can definitely get a little more performance out of a lighter guy.”

If Dom and Bobby Lagana can get it done, it will be among the best passes in IHRA history. The current IHRA quarter-mile record is held by Clay Millican at 4.484 seconds set at Rockingham Dragway in October of 2005. The speed record is also owned by Millican at 328.14 mph set at Maryland Int’l Raceway in 2007.

“Martin is like our home track and we would love nothing more than to set our new mark there,” Lagana said. “We have accomplished so much over the years, but it all dates back to that day in 2003. What it would mean to us to do it again this weekend would be fantastic.”

The Laganas will be battling Bruce Litton, another famous name from IHRA’s past, in a 320 mph match race. Earlier this year Dom edged Litton in a match race at Englishtown and the two will be looking to continue that rivalry in Michigan.

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